Firefighters Will Wait To See Mayor's Letter

CAPE CANAVERAL — Members of the Cape Canaveral Volunteer Fire Department have gathered ''more than half'' the signatures needed to force a vote on abolishing the city's paid fire department.

But they say they will read letters mailed from Mayor Wayne Rutherford's office before they decide to circulate letters of their own.

Rutherford said Tuesday that the letters, which present the city's position on the decision to replace the volunteer firefighters with paid city employees, were being stuffed into sewer bill envelopes and will be received soon by local residents.

Volunteer Chief Pat Lee, who met Monday with members of the petition committee, said it will be a few days before the committee finishes confirming signatures on the petition.

He said the committee has more than 500 of the 900 names needed to have the issue of whether to keep the paid fire department placed on the November ballot.

The volunteers have until Aug. 19 to reach their goal.

Lee and assistant volunteer chief Jack Burns both said the petition committee would consider writing its own letter, containing its own version of the facts, if members don't agree with what the mayor has written.